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Fan suffers heart attack during 49ers game, dies

Associated Press
8:38 a.m. CDT August 18, 2014

The fan was sitting in the sun-baked part of the stadium, where temperatures reached 80 degrees.

Fans watch as the San Francisco 49ers play the Denver Broncos during the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)(Photo: Tony Avelar AP)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — A man who collapsed during the San Francisco 49ers' debut game at Levi's Stadium has died.

Stadium staff responded to a cardiac emergency during the third quarter of the 49ers' preseason opener against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, the Santa Clara Fire Department said.

The man received CPR and was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name was not released.

The 49ers issued a statement Sunday night offering condolences to his family and friends.

The team's 34-0 loss to the Broncos and 80-degree heat drove thousands of fans to leave the new stadium midway through the game.

Team officials told the San Jose Mercury News (http://bit.ly/1v6Cek3) that there was an unusually high number of calls for emergency services, likely because of the heat.

The fan who died Sunday was sitting in the sun-baked part of the stadium, near the top of the lower bowl behind the visitor's sideline, where temperatures reached 80 degrees and sent many fans to the shady concourses, the newspaper reported.

It was the third death at the stadium site but the first since the $1.3 billion Santa Clara stadium had opened, the Mercury News reported. Two workers died during construction.